The canoes came to the shore at Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo in shades of black, red, white and brown.
Spectators cheered for the canoes, named Raven, Blue Heron and Big Brother, as the paddlers navigated through the water.
And when the paddlers pulled their canoes ashore, they made history.
Mukilteo was chosen as a landing spot for the 2007 Intertribal Canoe Journey, which ends at Lummi near Bellingham.
Hundreds of people gathered at the shores of the park to watch the canoes land. Approximately 40 canoes are making the journey this year.
The landing marked the first major gathering of American Indians at Mukilteo since the signing of the Point Elliot Treaty in 1855.
“This was Snohomish territory at one time,” said Raymond Moses, a former tribal historian. “They came from many directions.”
Mukilteo was a meeting point, Moses said, for tribes to visit and trade with each other. The canoes were their way of travel, a lifeline of survival for the tribes. Songs are sung to honor the cedar trees, which gave their lives to the people making canoes.
“It’s just like a car,” he said. “You take care of it, even the paddles.”
Like the parked SUVs and cars decorated with canoe and family names, the canoes also were adorned, many with good-luck cedar boughs.
Small tents took the place of the longhouse elders say was once there. Wood smoke and bits of ash filled the air surrounding the people crowded along the beach.
The landing at Mukilteo held much importance, said Tulalip tribal chairman Mel Sheldon.
In March, archaeologists discovered evidence of an American Indian village in the area where the state planned to construct a new ferry terminal and transit hub. Three sites merited listing on the National Registry of Historic Places, meaning they potentially held a number of culturally significant artifacts.
As the state and the tribes work through issues about the proposed ferry terminal, the landing became a way to bridge the gap between cultures, Sheldon said.
“We thought it might be a good way to learn more about each other,” Sheldon said, adding that since neither one is going away, it’s critical they work together.
The journey itself has a focus on engaging youth, Sheldon said. It immerses young paddlers in their culture, an opportunity eagerly seized judging by the many youth that climbed out of the beached canoes.
By helping young people remember who they are, it ensures they won’t forget, Sheldon said.
“It helps our culture survive,” he said. “Today if I look around at all the tribes, we survived and stood the test of time.”
Albert Worthington, a 17-year-old from Portland, Ore., knew he would repeat the canoe journey after he finished it last year.
“I had to come again,” Worthington said.
The feeling of being out on the ocean is calm, he continued, but the atmosphere is spiked with danger.
“There’s always the risk of something happening,” he said. “But you’re not afraid because you’re with your family, and you know you can take care of each other.”
Taking part in the journey gives Worthington a sense of pride in knowing that he’s caring on traditions.
“I like to know my ancestors are watching over me,” he said, “and that I’m making them proud by continuing our traditions.
“If we don’t carry on our pride and traditions, our ancestors might as well have not existed.”
Reporter Jasa Santos: 425-339-3465 or jsantos@heraldnet.com.
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